Rob Reiner And His Wife Michele Were Killed On Sunday (December 14)
The bodies of famed director and actor Rob Reiner, and his wife of 36 years, Michele, were discovered by their daughter on Sunday afternoon, allegedly showing signs of being stabbed.
Initially, the LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton said they were not looking for anyone as a suspect, but in a press conference on Monday (December 15), they revealed they arrested Rob and Michele’s son, Nick, and charged him with murder. His bail is currently held at $4 million.
Rob and Michele had three children together: Nick, Jake, and Romy.
Rob was previously married to Penny Marshall for about a decade and he adopted her daughter, actress Tracy Reiner, from a previous relationship. Speaking with NBC News, Tracy says he saw her dad just one day before his death.
She said, “I came from the greatest family ever. I don’t know what to say. I’m in shock.”
The family released a statement to Variety, but did not acknowledge Nick’s involvement. The statement read:
”It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner. We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Rob And Michele’s Son, Nick, Suffered From Mental Health Issues And Addiction
According to TMZ, the Reiner family attended Conan O’Brien’s Christmas party on Saturday night (December 12), where attendees said Rob and Nick became involved in a “very loud argument” that many people could hear. Family friends also confirmed this report to The Los Angeles Times.
Sources tell TMZ that Michele had been wondering what else she and her husband could do for Nick’s mental illness and substance abuse, even saying, “We’ve tried everything.”
Nick’s struggle with addiction was a focal point of the 2016 film Being Charlie, which Rob directed and Nick wrote with Matt Elisofon. It was a semi-autobiographical film that was based on Nick’s life experiences as a heroin addict and being homeless.
While promoting the movie, Nick and Rob took part in interviews together. Collin Rugg posted a video on X of a few of those interviews.
In an interview with Build, Rob said, “I told him before, he was the heart and soul of the film. When it came to making the film deeper and better, I would really have to defer to him even though I had all this experience in making films. The core of this film, I really had to look to him. I relied on him for giving it the honesty and the truth that it has.“
While sitting down with ABC, Nick said he wanted to make the movie because he has “all these experiences that might be valuable for other people, but I just find them interesting and I’d like the world to know about it.”
Rob reveals that Nick and the movie’s co-writer, Matt Elisofon, met in one of the rehab facilities the younger Reiner had been to, and started comparing notes and decided to write a script together.
He also said that Nick’s “roughest point” was from age 15-19. Nick admits that he was most nervous for his dad to read the part of the father in Being Charlie, saying that Rob was “never that villainous” in real life.
The Los Angeles Times also referenced an interview the family participated in at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival.
Nick told the interviewer that he decided to quit heroin due to “practical realization,” saying, “I got sick of doing that. I come from a nice family. I’m not supposed to be out there on the streets and in homeless shelters doing all these … things.”
Rob and Michele admitted they were “so influenced” by the counselors at each rehab facility.
The director said, “When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen. We were desperate, and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son.”
Michele added that the counselors would tell them that Nick was always lying to them and that he was trying to manipulate them. He tried several different rehab facilities, and when he refused to go anymore, he lived on the street. He attempted rehab 17 different times, going for the first time at 15 years old.
While making the movie and dealing with their past trauma together, the father and son got closer. Not much has been heard about Nick in the nine years since the movie’s release.
Nick’s most recent public appearance came in September 2025 when the entire family supported Rob at the Spinal Tap II: The End Continues premiere.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Rob and Michele’s kids, as well as the rest of their family, and all who knew and loved them.
See the raw interviews below.